1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to copolymers of a vinyl lactam, e.g. vinylpyrrolidone or vinyl caprolactam and an ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing an amino or hydroxy functionality, and, more particularly, to a process for preparing such functional copolymers by copolymerization of vinyl lactam and amino alkene or hydroxy alkene monomers in aqueous solution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Merijan, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,968, described the preparation of functional graft homopolymers of vinyl lactams, e.g. vinylpyrrolidone, by reaction of polyvinylpyrrolidone with allylamine or allylalcohol in ethanol solvent in a bomb reactor at 130.degree.-140.degree. C.
Kitchell, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,692,328 and 4,772,484, disclosed the further reaction of such functional homopolymers by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde to form a gel which was useful in biological applications.
These and other patents and publications, however, have not provided copolymers of a vinyl lactam monomer and a functional polymerizable monomer, e.g. a hydroxy or amino alkene, and a process for making such functional copolymers in water solution.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide functional copolymers of a vinyl lactam, e.g. vinylpyrrolidone, and a hydroxy or amino alkene, which contain an aminoalkyl or hydroxyalkyl functionality, and wherein the polymerization is carried out in water under predetermined reaction conditions, and unreacted functional monomer can be removed after copolymerization.